SONG of War
by Lord Zalgo
Summary: Beacon had many interesting students and by extension, many interesting teams. With students of many different origins, pasts, powers and skills; it should come to no surprise of the diversity on the teams of hunters and huntresses in-training at Beacon. However, none are quite as interesting or diverse as the team known as Team SONG...
1. Chapter 1

"Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!" The tall, scraggly blond said as he walked into the crowd.

' _Please, don't let him speak to me_.' A brunette girl thought as she kept her attention on the stage ahead of her. She was wearing a white shirt with the collar turned up, a brown jacket that reached her thighs, brown trousers and boots and some kind of sword in a scabbard attached to her belt. The sword seemed to be fairly mundane except for the fact that it appeared to have a microphone attached to the end of its hilt. However, that wasn't the case. The microphone WAS the hilt. Her bright yellow eyes locked onto her gloves as she adjusted them and checked the speaker-like device attached to the palm of her left glove. When she was satisfied with her attire, she turned to see a girl standing next to her, shaking like a dog in winter. The most outright thing she noticed about the girl was the fact that she was at good number of inches shorter than her.

The girl had short blonde hair in a neat bun and black eyes. She was wearing a yellow-beige thick woollen sweater with a long skirt the reached all the way to her feet that was that same colour as the sweater. It didn't seem like the kind of clothing a huntress would wear, but then she noticed that the skirt was pleated, which would avoid the skirt from impeding her movement, but they did seem to hide her figure. She was also wearing a brown pair of boots and a brown headband. She also had two very large, blunt gauntlets on both of her wrists that looked like they could extend passed her hands in a moment's notice. They also looked like they were too heavy for anyone with the girl's small stature to lift, let alone wield; yet the blonde didn't seem at all fazed by them. The blonde turned to look hesitantly over to the brunette and tried and failed to start a conversation as the words seemed to die in her throat. The brunette sighed and spoke.

"Sonata Melody." Sonata said as she extended her hand. The blonde slowly reached over with a shaky hand and grabbed Sonata's as they shook hands.

"O-Ophelia Sky." Ophelia said nervously as they let go of each other's hand.

"So, what is it you wanted to say?" Sonata asked.

"Oh! Um… I-is this the right p-place for new students to be?" Ophelia asked timidly.

"Well, considering that everyone else is here right now, I'd say it's kinda obvious." Sonata replied, sounding harsher than she intended.

"R-right… sorry…" Ophelia mumble pathetically. Sonata playfully slugged her in the arm in a friendly manner.

"Hey, don't look so down! There's no need for that." Sonata said, causing Ophelia to smile at her, but then she looked behind Sonata with wide, scared eyes. Sonata turned around to see a figure that was head to toe in black. She couldn't see anything the figure was wearing or what it looked like due to the long coat it was wearing. It was a full length black leather zip-up coat that reached its feet and a hood draped all the way over its head, hiding their face completely. They were also wearing black leather gloves and boots. The figure also had some form of mechanical naginata on its back. Needless to say, Sonata understood why Ophelia was spooked.

"Uh… Hey, there?" Sonata said, trying to catch its attention. The figure kept its arms crossed as the hood moved to show that it was now looking at her.

"Yes?" A distinct male voice said. But, the voice sounded… normal. Nothing scary or threatening about it.

"Who're you?" Sonata asked.

"…Uh… Why do you want to know? We've never met before." The male replied.

"Well, because we haven't met yet. Isn't that why people tell others their names?" Sonata asked, Ophelia still cowering behind her.

"…Heh. Can't argue with that. Name's Gnash. Gnash Saurian." Gnash replied with a hint of amusement.

"I'm Sonata Melody, and the shivering girl behind me is Ophelia Sky." Sonata said, causing Ophelia to squeak at the mention of her name and hide behind Sonata, not unlike how a young child would to their parent or sibling when they meet someone new. The conversation ended however, when the headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin took the stage.

"I'll... keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction… You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin said before leaving, allowing the woman who appeared as a hologram on the ship ride known as Professor Goodwitch to take the stage.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Glynda said before leaving herself. Gnash leaned over to the girls slightly.

"Well, those two were a barrel o' laughs." Gnash said sarcastically, causing Ophelia to gain a small smile and Sonata to chuckle.

"Laughs don't come in barrels. They come from inside you as your body's response to delight." A new voice said monotonously. The three looked over to it to see another boy with neatly combed light grey hair, green eyes and a rigid posture. He was wearing something akin to a white military uniform right down to the epaulettes on his shoulders, to the white beret on his head and the white gloves on his hands. His trousers were royal blue and his shoes were jet black. He had a long, jagged sword strapped to his back lengthways, but it seemed to be attached to some sort of string which had its other end attached to his back. Even among the interestingly garbed individuals in the hall, he still stood out. As the boy was starting to walk away, Gnash spoke out to him.

"And you are?" The boy stopped. He turned his entire body, not unlike a soldier or a robot.

"I am Nickel." Nickel replied before he turned around and walked away in his robotic manner.

Everyone present then began to walk and gather in the Beacon ballroom and immediately discovered the large amount of sleeping bags. A few brave people walked forwards immediately and picked a bag, giving everyone else the courage to do the same. Ophelia stuck to Sonata like glue as they picked bags next to each other. Sonata didn't seem to mind though, as Ophelia was quiet and timid. Sonata did label her as quite clingy, but not annoying by any means. As all of the sleeping bags were picked and night fell, everybody was ready to get to sleep. Sonata laid in her bag trying to go to sleep.

"Um… So-Sonata?" Ophelia's quiet, timid voice filled the air. Sonata turned around to look at her.

"Yeah?" Sonata asked, slightly annoyed at being asked something so late, but she didn't show that feeling.

"…Do you… think we're going to be alright? Do you think we can all make it here?" Ophelia asked with small, frightened tears in her eyes. Sonata looked into her eyes and knew that she had to give a serious answer, as she saw that she was completely serious and scared about the question.

"…We can try. We'll just have to see." Sonata replied, lowering her head and closing her eyes. Ophelia watched her for a moment before doing the same. Sleep didn't come easily, but it came nonetheless.


	2. Chapter 2

"I know! We'll have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal! A secret signal so we can find each other in the forest! Can you imitate a sloth?" The short redhead girl speaking with seemingly no end to the taller black-haired boy.

' _She has not stopped talking ALL MORNING! Someone shut her UP!_ ' Sonata thought angrily as she pulled her sword, scabbard and gloves out of her locker and began to put them on.

"Nora?" The boy replied, catching Sonata off guard, as he hadn't spoken all morning.

' _Wait, is he gonna tell her to shut it? Is he gonna save me?!_ ' Sonata thought, giddy with hope as she finished adorning her gear and placing a pair of aviator sunglasses on her face.

"Yes, Ren?" Nora asked.

' _Here it comes…_ ' Sonata thought in anticipation.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." Ren replied calmly as he sheathed his weapons in his sleeves.

'… _Dust, damn it._ ' Sonata thought in defeat.

"…That's why it's perfect! No one will suspect we're working together!" Nora said excitedly.

"Come on, Nora. Let's go." Ren replied with a small smile as he began to walk away, Nora eagerly following behind.

"Not 'together-together'..." Nora said with a giggle.

' _She totally wants him._ ' Sonata thought as she came across Ophelia beginning to put on her gauntlets.

"Hey, Ophelia." Sonata greeted as Ophelia finished putting on one of her gauntlets.

"Hi, Sonata. Happy that Miss Valkyrie's gone with Mister Ren?" Ophelia asked softly, referring to the aforementioned students in a strangely formal manner.

"Yeah, I guess. But, I honestly don't know how that Ren guy can be THAT patient." Sonata said as she tried to pick up Ophelia's other gauntlet from her locker. Only for it to not budge an inch. Looking at it with confusion, Sonata attempted to lift it again with all of her strength, only to give up fairly quickly after being unable to move it at all. Sonata looked at Ophelia with a confused look on her face, which Ophelia returned. She slowly reached her hand out to the gauntlet and lifted it as if didn't weigh a thing and placed it onto her forearm before shutting her locker.

" _Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately._ " Professor Goodwitch instructed over the speaker system.

Sonata's gaze was still locked with the gauntlets in silent awe as Ophelia slowly started to walk away awkwardly as Sonata silently followed behind. As the pair approached the Beacon Cliff, they noticed four figures. Two of the figures were Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch and the other two were standing on the panels assigned for students. One of the figures was draped in black, the other in white.

"Gnash! 'Sup?" Sonata said as she took a spot next to him, Ophelia standing next to her with Nickel on the very end.

"Hey, Sonata. Hey, Ophelia." Gnash replied in a friendly manner, earning a shy wave from Ophelia. Nickel had yet to acknowledge them. Sonata, Gnash and Ophelia were vaguely aware of the other students arriving or what Professor Ozpin was saying as they were more interested in what Nickel was doing. His eyes were moving strangely quickly, as if he was analysing the forest in some way. After a minute or so of this, Nickel's eyes stopped moving and stared straight ahead before turning his head to the three.

"Landing strategy planning complete." Nickel said seconds before the panel flung him like a catapult towards the forest. Dread rose in the other three as they felt the panel shift slightly underneath them and they were without a landing strategy.

"Oh, Dust…" The three cursed as they were all catapulted towards the forest as well. They all had to think very quickly as they were soaring through the air. Sonata waited until she was fairly close to the ground before raising her left hand and activating the speaker on her palm, which released an actual blast of sound, which pushed against her momentum, allowing her to slow down and cushion her fall. When she reached the ground, she began to roll in order to allow the momentum to die down without damaging her body. Once she stopped moving, she stayed still for a few moments, laying on her back with her glasses laying crooked on her face and her breath all but gone.

Gnash grabbed his naginata and flicked it in his hand until the blade was laying on his shoulder and he was aiming the other end ahead of him. After the weapon shifted in his hands slightly, a scope and a trigger appeared on it, allowing him to shoot several branches that were particularly covered in foliage. The way they fell made the branches fall into a pile with the foliage on top of it all. Gnash put the weapon back on his back before he opened up his limbs in an effort to slow his fall before flipping onto his back just before impact. After the impact, Gnash opened his eyes to see a lot of leaves that cushioned his fall, but not feeling a lot of pain. He began to laugh weakly, simply glad to be unharmed.

Ophelia had tears streaming down her face as she flew through the air, unsure of what to do and terrified of her current predicament. Her eyes suddenly locked onto a very large tree that was taller and wider than any of the other… and it was rapidly approaching her. She quickly wiped her eyes with a firm expression and flicked her arms, activating her gauntlets. They extended past her hands and grew slightly to look more like heads of giant war hammers. Bracing her body, she repositioned her body and reeled her arms back. When the tree was close enough, she shot her fists forward and punched the massive tree with both hands. After a second or two, the sound of creaking fill the air. Ophelia quickly grabbed onto the tree as it slowly began to change angle. She braced herself as the tree began to tip much quicker until it was fully falling to the ground, the roots tearing through the ground. Moments before the tree landed, Ophelia jumped from it and rolled along the ground to cushion her impact. She flinched at the large crash behinds her, causing her to turn around and see that the tree had flattened a group of Beowolves when it fell.

"Sorry." Ophelia mumbled awkwardly as she stood.

Nickel flew through the air, still with no expression on his face as his eyes didn't leave two trees ahead of him that were parallel to each other. He reached behind him and pulled out a second sword, identical to his first one as he grabbed that one as well. The second sword unfolded to its full length as Nickel checked the strength of the strings the swords were attached to. Satisfied, he prepared for the two trees and readied his arms. When they were close enough, Nickel threw the swords and the imbedded themselves into the trees. Nickel came to a sudden halt as the strings reached their full length, and Nickel began to fall down. The swords still acting as his anchors, Nickel allowed himself to fall and stopped a foot from the ground, the strings going taut again. With a firm tug of the strings, the swords were pulled from the tree and fell into Nickel's grip as he recovered from the short drop. He clipped the swords behind him as the strings retracted also and Nickel began to look around.

Sonata, Gnash, Nickel and Ophelia all noticed a yellow blur fly above them, cheering loudly as it moved high speeds above the forest. With no better sense of direction they all began to follow the blur deeper into the forest, unsure of what laid ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

' _Where the Dust am I supposed to be going?!_ ' Gnash thought, exasperated by his lack of direction and purpose as he continued to wander in the forest. He looked around once more, but his attention was caught by a figure in the distance. A figure he recognised.

"Ophelia!" Gnash said as he ran forward to meet her. Upon hearing her name, Ophelia looked around in a panic, but immediately calmed down at the sight of Gnash.

"Oh, Gnash, it's you. Thank Dust I'm not the only one here. Do you know where anyone else is?" Ophelia asked in a relieved tone.

"No, I don't. I don't even know where we're meant to be going." Gnash admitted. Ophelia visibly drooped slightly.

"Oh… Neither do I. D-do you think we could… stick together for now? I-I don't want to be alone…" Ophelia asked timidly.

"I think that's best. We should stick together for safety." Gnash agreed before beginning to walk again, motioning Ophelia to follow. Ophelia followed eagerly as they made their way forward, the trees getting less thick as they walked.

Sonata readjusted her sunglasses as she moved slowly and quietly in order to void the small group of Beowolves ahead of her.

' _Alright. I know I've prepared for this, but I'm not having the best day, so… what's say I just sneak, stay alive and find out what the hell I'm meant to do? Yeah, that sounds good._ ' Sonata thought to herself as she continued to watch the Beowolves. Just as Nickel jumped from the shadows, swords in hand and leapt at the Beowolves with incredible speed. He managed to keep his distance as he fought as he held onto the strings of his swords, allowing them to have a better range as he flung them with every strike and causing them to come back to him when the swing was done. He acted as a puppeteer for the swords, using fluid motions to control them as they continued to slice at the Beowolves. The Beowolves didn't last long against their opponent, since their reach wasn't large enough to hit him and they were quickly dispatched.

'… _Or… that could happen. That works too._ ' Sonata thought as she emerged from her hiding spot and walked towards Nickel.

"Well, buddy, you sure made my job easier." Sonata said in a friendly manner, causing Nickel to look towards her and look at her in silence.

"…Uh… you okay, Nickel?" Sonata asked.

"We have made eye contact. We are now partners for the next four years." Nickel said in his usual monotonous tone.

"W-whoa! Creepy stalker much?!" Sonata said with one hand on her sword.

"Those were the parameters set by Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch on the cliff before we were catapulted into this forest. He told us the nature of our current mission and how partners would be chosen. Were you not listening?" Nickel asked.

"W-well… no, but-." Sonata awkwardly attempted to speak.

"Then, you need me, regardless." Nickel interrupted her. Sonata sighed at the logic. She knew it was undeniable and she needed what he knew.

"…What's the mission, then?" Sonata asked.

"We are to go to the temple in this forest and take a relic from it. Then, we are to return the relic to the cliff." Nickel explained. Sonata remained silent in thought for a moment before talking again.

"Well, guess we're partners now. At least I know you can kick ass." Sonata said as she walked past Nickel, causing Nickel to turn and follow her.

"I am unfamiliar with that term." Nickel replied. They both stopped as they looked up ahead and saw a large column of smoke rising not far from them.

"Let's go check it out." Sonata said firmly. Nickel nodded before they both began to run towards the smoke.

* * *

"The damn forest's on fire!" Gnash yelled as he spotted a group of Beowolves running from the ever-growing flames.

"Wh-what do we do?! We can't let the fire spread!" Ophelia said with urgency. Gnash thought for a moment.

"If the fire was small enough, I could snuff it out with my coat, but the fire's covering that tree. It would just spread again by the time I've snuffed it all out." Gnash said.

"Oh! I- Um… Y-you can just leave that to me!" Ophelia said a sudden burst of soft enthusiasm. Ophelia prepared her gauntlets and ran towards the tree. She reeled he arm back as she ran and punched the tree with not a lot of force. Yet, the tree exploded and collapsed into a small pile of ash and burning wood.

"Gnash! Now you can snuff it out!" Ophelia shouted. Which was still fairly quiet, but it did snap Gnash out of the state of awe he was in. He ran to meet Ophelia before throwing his coat off and placing it on the fire. He then began to stomp on the coat in several places to suffocate the fire, causing Ophelia to join in until the fire was gone. Both of them sighed in relief before Ophelia looked at Gnash and had to fight a gasp at what she saw.

Gnash had fairly long black hair that was spiked up in numerous places, making it look like it was nearly impossible to manage. He was wearing simple black trousers and boots, a dark green turtleneck jacket with black leather gloves. However, what struck Ophelia was the long, reptilian tail protruding from Gnash's lower back, the sharp teeth in his mouth as he panted from the effort of stomping the fire out and the bright yellow reptilian eyes. Gnash looked over to Ophelia and saw her staring at him.

"What's the matter? Never seen a Faunus before?" Gnash asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice, snapping Ophelia out of her trance.

"I-I'm sorry! I've just never s-seen a Faunus with so many… differences from humans before. I-it's usually just ears or a tail or something from what I've seen…" Ophelia voice trailed off, hoping that she hadn't insulted him.

"…Huh." Gnash said with a hint of surprise.

"W-what?" Ophelia asked with a hint of dread.

"Well… You're the first human to actually try to avoid hurting my feelings about the way I look. Do you… not have anything against Faunus?" Gnash asked.

"No! In fact, I've actually been in some Faunus rights protests in the past!" Ophelia said quickly, eager to prove herself innocent. Gnash stood in shock for a moment before his features relaxed and he smiled at Ophelia.

"I think you and I are gonna get along fine, Ophelia." Gnash said, causing Ophelia to smile back.

"Hey! You two!" A voice caught both their attention, causing them to turn and see Sonata and Nickel running towards them.

"Sonata! Nickel!" Ophelia and Gnash said.

"Oh, it's you, Gnash. I didn't recognise you without your coat. My bad!" Sonata said casually as she rubbed the back of her neck in an apologetic nature. Gnash seemed to be in shock again at the lack of discrimination.

"I see you two have become partners as well." Nickel said. Silence fell at his words.

"…What?" Ophelia and Gnash said simultaneously.


	4. Chapter 4

The group of four walked through the forest until they were faced with a clearing with some kind of ruin in its centre. Nickel's explanation went down well with Gnash and Ophelia and the two sets of partners decided to stay together for safety, especially after Sonata revealed Nickel's skills with his swords.

"Do you think that's the temple Ozpin mentioned?" Sonata asked Nickel.

"…He did not mention the condition of the temple. It is worth investigating." Nickel replied after a moment of thought.

"S-so, what ARE the relics Professor Ozpin sent us to find?" Ophelia asked.

"Once again, he did not specify. But, there IS one way to find out." Nickel said as he began to walk toward the ruin, followed by Gnash, Ophelia and Sonata. As they approached the inside of the ruin, they noticed a number of small black and golden objects laid out on pedestals.

"Ch-chess pieces?" Ophelia said to no one in particular.

"I've never played it." Sonata said.

"Think these are the relics?" Gnash asked. Nickel looked around to see that some of the pieces were missing.

"There is a possibility. It would be logical to take a piece even if they are not the relics." Nickel said as he walked forward once more to examine the piece, leading the others to do the same. Sonata immediately reached forward and grabbed the gold Bishop piece.

"What about shiny nipple-head guy?" Sonata said to Nickel.

"Bishop." Nickel corrected.

"To-may-to, to-mah-to." Sonata replied. Ophelia hesitantly reached forward, but lingered over a piece before moving to grab another, only to linger again on that piece. This went on for a moment before Sonata sweat-dropped.

"Just pick one!" Sonata yelled loudly, shocking Ophelia into picking up a piece without looking at it. She looked down into her hands to see the other gold Bishop. The group froze at the sound of rumbling.

"Grimm. I think it's best if we make it back to the cliff. Now." Sonata said, much to the agreement of her colleagues.

"B-but, I thought you didn't know if these were the relics or not." Ophelia said nervously.

"They're the only things we've found, though. They're our best bet." Gnash said. The group then began to run back the way they came. Once they were under the cover of the trees, Gnash looked behind him to see a small number of people at the ruin… and a girl riding out of the forest on an Ursa… and a girl being chased by a Death Stalker… AND a Nevermore flying overhead.

"Holy DUST!" Gnash shouted as he grinded to a halt. Ophelia, Nickel and Sonata turned to see what he was looking at, causing them to freeze in shock.

"Those are some big Grimm!" Ophelia said surprisingly loudly.

"We can't leave them to deal with them all! We've gotta help them!" Sonata said as she began to run back towards the ruin. After a moment of silence, Gnash, Nickel and Ophelia sighed before running to follow Sonata. Everyone looked up in shock as the saw a person in white fall from the Nevermore's talon and began to plummet to the ground. Sonata hadn't even noticed her before she started to fall and was unsure of what to do. Until she looked behind her to see Nickel with his swords impaled into some trees that were a small distance away from him, but the strings that the swords were attached to were stretched taut and looked like they were holding a lot of pressure. Nickel suddenly jumped and the pressure was released, firing him like a slingshot towards the falling girl. As he reached her, he caught her in his arm, flipped several times due to the momentum and landed on his feet in a crouched position. Seeing the girl unharmed, he stood up and put her down onto her shaky feet. Everybody rushed over to where they landed.

"Weiss, are you alright?!" Ruby asked, concerned. Weiss was still recovering from her shock to acknowledge Ruby at that moment.

"Th-thanks." Weiss said with a small, shocked stutter. Nickel simply nodded in response.

"Dude, I take back what I thought of you. You're gonna be a great partner." Sonata said with a hint of pride as she patted him twice on the shoulder. Not one second later, a woman in gladiator-like armour landed at the group's feet as a blond boy wearing a hoodie fell from the tree he was trying to climb down from.

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang said sarcastically.

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby said as she charged towards the Death Stalker with a battle cry.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang yelled as Ruby ran. Ruby tried to shoot the Death Stalker with what appear to be high calibre sniper rounds from her scythe-gun. However, the Death Stalker was unfazed and when they were close enough to each other, the Grimm swatted Ruby away like a fly, leaving her wide open to attack.

"D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!" Ruby said shakily as she got back to her feet. However the creature behind her begged to differ. Remembering that her weapon was ineffective against the Death Stalker, Ruby decided to run.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled as she began to run forward in an attempt to help Ruby as Gnash began to whisper into Ophelia's ear. Only for Ruby to be pinned in place because of the giant Nevermore feathers shot from the beast's wings; pinning her cape to the ground and stopping the blonde's advance simultaneously.

"Ruby, get out of there!" Yang yelled as the feather stopped her from reaching Ruby in time as the Death Stalker grew closer to her.

"I'm trying!" Ruby said as she struggled to free her cloak from the Nevermore feather. In a sudden flash, Ophelia and Gnash appeared out of thin air next to Ruby. Gnash began to shoot the Death Stalker to try to slow it down as Ophelia lifted the giant feather with no difficulty whatsoever, freeing Ruby. However, the Death Stalker was unaffected by the gunshots and it had already begun to bring its large, glowing stinger down on the three of them.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled before a white blur ran past her and stopped between the Death Stalker and the Hunters-in-training. A number of giant forms of ice encased the claws and tail of the Death Stalker.

"You are so childish!" Weiss said without turning around.

"Weiss?" Ruby said as she opened her eyes and stopped cowering.

"And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer." Weiss said, her tone softening as the sentences wore on.

"I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this." Ruby replied in a somewhat vulnerable and desperate tone.

"You're fine." Weiss said as if it were obvious. A look of gratefulness washed over Ruby's face as she put her hands together and looked down.

"Normal knees…" Ruby whispered to herself.

"As much as I hate to break up this heart-warming scene, we're still in a large amount of danger." Gnash said as he grabbed onto Ophelia's shoulder and used his Semblance to teleport back to the group.

"Guys? That thing's circling back! What are we gonna do?" Jaune said, motioning to the Nevermore flying overhead.

"Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss said, motioning to the chess pieces.

"She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliff… There's no point in fighting these things." Ruby said with a surprising amount of maturity, encouraged by Weiss' nod of approval.

"Run and live. That's an idea I can get behind!" Jaune said.

"Seconded!" Sonata said with the same amount of enthusiasm. Ruby and Jaune rushed forward and took a piece each. Ruby took a gold Knight and Jaune took a gold Rook.

"Time we left." Ren said to the group.

"Right. Let's go!" Ruby said as everyone began to run back towards the cliff. As the team ran towards an abandoned part of the forest with no trees but more ruins, a pack of Beowolves emerged from the shadows and began to reduce the distance between them and the group of Hunters-in-training.

"Where the hell'd they come from?!" Yang yelled as they continued to run.

"I thought that fire would have scared them away for much longer!" Weiss replied.

"Wait… Gnash and I put a fire out earlier to stop it from spreading! They must have come out when they saw that the fire was gone!" Ophelia said, guilt rising in her voice.

"Alright, Gnash, Ophelia, Nickel. You guys stick with me and we'll deal with 'em. You guys keep going!" Sonata instructed, but stopped to face the Beowolves before anyone could protest. The four stood in front of the large pack with weapons at the ready. Seeing her as the smallest of the group and therefore, weakest; a Beowolf leapt at Ophelia with its jaws at the ready. Which were shattered with a single punch. Ophelia used an uppercut so hard that she punched the Beowolf to a height where it could no longer be seen. The Beowolves actually showed some timidity after that as Sonata pressed a button on her speaker-glove and returned her attention to the creatures before her.

Another Beowolf proved brave enough to try to take out one of the group, this time the target was Gnash. The last thing it saw was Gnash's naginata blade stabbing it straight between the eyes. Gnash then pulled the weapon from the beast's skull to flip it around and fire seven quick-fired shots into its head, blasting it to pieces. The Beowolves froze as another one of their kin laid dead in front of them.

"They must be demoralized completely." Nickel said.

"And just how do we do that?" Sonata asked, exasperated. A loud roar pulled them out of their conversation. They turned to see a Beowolf that was at least twice the size of the other. Undoubtedly, the Alpha.

"Defeat the Alpha. That should work." Nickel replied as the Alpha began to slowly closer to them.

"Oh, just- 'defeat the Alpha', piece of cake! How do you expect me to-!" Sonata's rant was cut off by a small beeping coming from her left hand.

"Oh, nevermind, I've got this." Sonata said casually as she lifted her left hand toward the Alpha.

"What are you doing, Sonata? Where's that beeping coming from?" Gnash asked, confused by her sudden casual look she was giving the Grimm.

"Oh, it's nothing special really, it's just my BASS CANNON!" Sonata yelled as she pressed a button on her palm and a large beam of concentrated sound firing directly at the Alpha. Ophelia, Gnash and Nickel covered their ears as the sound was practically deafening. The white bone-like parts of its body cracked and shattered instantly as the percussive force was breaking it from the inside until it collapsed. Sonata turned the cannon off as the Beowolves ran back towards the forest, their Alpha still dead on the floor. After a moment of silence, Sonata turned back to the group.

"…Maybe we should check on the others." Ophelia said, recovering from the attack.

"WHAT?!" Sonata yelled, ears still ringing.

* * *

"Nickel, Ophelia Sky, Gnash Saurian, Sonata Melody. The four of you retrieved the white Bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team SONG. Led by... Sonata Melody." Ozpin announced. She still remembered those words. Even at that moment, hours later, in the newly-formed Team SONG room; Sonata stared at the ceiling from her bed. Leader. She didn't think she would be leader of a team. Sleep seemed to allude her as her mind refused to rest. The team were assigned to their current room and all of them all but collapsed onto their beds after the events of the day.

Sonata could only imagine how well the newly formed teams RWBY and JNPR were sleeping after everything they did. All of them had had a long day, but Sonata could bet that she was the only one not sleeping. She was wrong, however. Sonata looked around to see Nickel looking out the window, the moonlight bathing his face.

"Can't sleep?" Sonata whispered to catch his attention. He turned his eyes to look at her before looking out the window again.

"I always have trouble sleeping. Do you wish to join me?" Nickel whispered back. Sonata quietly got out of bed and sat by Nickel as they both silently stared at the moon.

"…Do you think I'll be a good leader?" Sonata asked quietly. Nickel turned his head to look her in the eye.

"…There is no reason to say you won't be." They weren't the most comforting words in the world, but they were enough for Sonata to give him a small smile and look back at the moon.

Welcome to Beacon…


	5. Chapter 5

"Today, class, we will be reviewing Semblances. We shall review the basics, go through everyone's Semblance and then spar in order to test them." Professor Goodwitch said, standing in the middle of the arena. One week had passed since the teams were form and everyone had finally started to adjust to classes and the living arrangements. The class was currently in Professor Goodwitch's Combat class and were still learning the basics.

"Now, can anyone please define what Semblance is?" Goodwitch asked, leading Weiss to raise her hand immediately.

"Yes, Miss Schnee?" Goodwitch asked.

"Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user." Weiss answered, as if reciting from a text book.

"Correct, Miss Schnee. Semblance does indeed differ depending on the user, although it is common for people to inherit their Semblance from their parents. Now, if you could all form a line and demonstrate your semblance. If you have yet to discover your Semblance or would prefer not to show it, please remain in your seats." Goodwitch instructed. The majority of the class stood, leaving only a handful of students remaining in their seats. Nickel, Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha were among them. The line grew shorter very as everyone was just doing a small demonstration of their Semblance and going back to their seat. Ruby demonstrated her incredible speed, Weiss; her Glyphs, Blake; her after images, Ophelia; her extraordinary strength and Gnash; his teleportation. Sonata was the last student in line. She took her spot on the arena with her entire class looking at her.

"Well, Miss Melody? Your Semblance?" Goodwitch asked.

"Well… It's a little hard to explain. From what I can say for sure… my singing can cause hallucinogenic effects." Sonata replied.

"…Can you go into any more detail?" Goodwitch asked, her face holding a mix of surprise, confusion and curiosity.

"When I sing and channel my Aura, I can make anyone see anything that I want them to. But, their minds think it's real. So, when I make an illusion hit someone, they feel like they were hit! It's pretty cool!" Sonata said, her excitement growing as she spoke.

"Could you demonstrate?" Goodwitch asked.

"Well, it's stronger when it's focused on one person, so… I'll need a volunteer." Sonata replied.

"Hey! I'll do it!" A voice yelled from the crowd of classmates. Yang stood up and jumped to the ground and jogged to the arena. As Yang took her spot, posture brimming with confidence, Sonata unsheathed her sword and placed the microphone hilt near her lips. Yang assumed a battle position similar to that of a boxer as Sonata pressed a button on her sword's hilt. Suddenly, music started to emit from Sonata's person. It had a quick, rock-like beat with accompaniment from an electric guitar. Yang activated Ember Celica as Sonata raised the microphone.

" _Come at me,_

 _And you'll see,_

 _I'm more than meets the eye._

 _You think that,_

 _You'll break me,_

 _You're gonna find in time,_

 _You're standing too close to a flame that's burning._

 _Hotter than the sun in the middle of July._

 _Sending out your army, but you still can't win;_

 _Listen up, silly girl, 'cuz I'm gonna tell you why..._ "

Yang's confident smirk disappeared as she watched Sonata sing. And copies of Sonata walked into view from behind her. Yang put her guard up as she wearily watched the Sonata-doppelgangers walk around the arena, their gazes locked onto Yang; not unlike vultures over a corpse. More and more doppelgangers appeared as the singing continued until she was surrounded, making her look around frantically, trying to prepare for any attack.

" _I burn!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You got nothing that can stop me._

 _I burn!_

 _Swing all you want._

 _Like a fever I will take you down._

 _Reign supreme?_

 _In your dreams;_

 _You'll never make me bow._

 _Kick my ass?_

 _I'm world-class,_

 _And Super Saiyan now._ "

Yang could no longer track where the music and singing was coming from. She looked over to where she thought the real Sonata was, but the one she was looking at didn't seem any different from the rest of the doppelgangers that were staring at her, only one of them singing at a time before another one would pick up the song. Yang had no way of telling which one to hit. Aggravated, Yang swung her fist at a random clone, only for it to disappear in a puff of smoke before another one appeared to replace it.

" _You're starting up a fight that you just can't finish;_

 _Watch the little hearts while they scrape you off the floor._

 _Bringing out your rockets? Well, shoot 'em up, baby,_

 _High as you can go, but I'm the one who's gonna soar._ "

Ruby, Blake, Weiss, team JNPR and the rest of the class were watching the 'fight' in shock and confusion. They were watching the normally laid-back Yang Xiao Long looking around frantically at nothing and striking at thin air, all while Sonata was singing.

" _I burn!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You got nothing that can stop me._

 _I burn!_

 _Swing all you want,_

 _Like a fever I will take you down._

 _It doesn't have to be this way;_

 _Let's kiss and make up, then you'll learn_

 _You can fight your life away;_

 _I get what I want, so don't bother and just watch me burn._ "

Yang suddenly felt as if someone had struck her in the back. Looking over her shoulder as she stumbled forward, she saw the smirking face of Sonata. Only to stumble again as she was hit by one of the other Sonatas. Yang suddenly realised that these clones were somehow bypassing her Aura and her nose was gushing blood. Before she could react, the clones all began to attack her at the same time, making it difficult for her defend herself. She was taking hit after hits and she could feel her consciousness starting to slip away from her as she desperately tried to hit the Sonatas, only for them to disappear after a single hit and another to take its place.

" _I burn!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You got nothing that can stop me._

 _I burn!_

 _Swing all you want,_

 _Like a fever I will take you down._

 _I burn!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You got nothing that can stop me._

 _I burn!_

 _Swing all you want,_

 _Like a fever I will take you down._ "

Sonata finished her song as the class watched Yang swayed as she tried to stay on her feet. She was completely uninjured as Sonata had not made a single strike against Yang. In Yang's mind, however, she was very injured, blood pouring down her. Trying to stay awake as the clones faded away. Sonata walked toward Yang and gave a light poke on the chest, causing her to topple backwards like a falling tree.

"Timber." Sonata said after Yang fell. She then turned to Goodwitch.

"Don't worry, she only THOUGHT she was injured. When she wakes up, she'll feel fine. The hallucinogenic effects are very short-term, so she'll be fine after a nice rest." Sonata explained. Goodwitch knocked herself out of the state of awe and replied.

"Very well, that's comforting. Thank you for your demonstration, Miss Melody. Would the remainder of Team RWBY collect Miss Xiao Long, please? Class is dismissed." Goodwitch said as she walked away. The students started to file out as Ruby, Weiss and Blake rushed down quickly to check on Yang. Ruby turned her head to see Sonata and the rest of Team SONG meeting up.

"You're sure she'll be alright?" Ruby called out, worriedly. Sonata turned and saw the pure worry on Ruby's face and spoke in a slightly softer tone than usual.

"Positive. She might be a little paranoid when she wakes, but that'll pass really quickly. As long as you guys are there when she wakes, there shouldn't be a problem." Sonata said, reassuring Ruby of her sister's well-being. Weiss suddenly stood and glared at Sonata.

"If you ever do that again, we will not be held responsible for what we do." Weiss said threateningly, protective of her teammate. Ruby looked up at Weiss and started to speak.

"Weiss, there's no need for-."

"…Was that a threat?" Sonata interrupted.

"So what if it was? I'm protecting my teammate." Weiss said. Sonata then took two steps forward.

"Then, who's gonna protect you, then?" Sonata asked in a low tone as Weiss her the cocking of a gun behind her. She turned to see Gnash aiming his weapon at her, ready to fire, Nickel holding his two swords and Ophelia cracking her knuckles.

"Don't pick fights, Ice Queen." Sonata said as she motion for team SONG to join her as she turned and started walking away. As they were walking away, team RWBY could vaguely hear them whispering to each other.

"That was pretty cool." Ophelia whispered.

"I know, right?! We were all pretty badass back there!" Sonata replied with an excited whisper.

"Our badassery levels are at optimal levels at this moment." Nickel monotonously replied.

"You don't think what we did'll come back and bite us in the ass, do you?" Gash asked with a flick of his tail.

"Hey, she was hostile to us. We told her not to pick fights. End of story. It'll all be fine." Sonata said. However, deep down, none of them really believed those last few words.

* * *

The song is I Burn by Casey Lee Williams and Jeff Williams. All credit to the original artists, writers etc.

I don't own the bloody song, alright?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Reece R

"This is the part where you lose." Cardin said as he and Jaune had their weapons locked with each other.

"Over my dead-!" Jaune's reply was cut off by Cardin kneeing him in the stomach and knocking the wind from Jaune's body, causing him to fall to the ground and drop his sword. Just when it looked lie Cardin was going to finish Jaune, a buzzer sounded and Professor Goodwitch began to speak.

"Cardin, that's enough!" Goodwitch said as she walked towards the arena. Cardin stopped his attack in its tracks and stood down.

"Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match. Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please, try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?" Goodwitch instructed to the students watching and then to Jaune. Cardin mumbled something that Nickel couldn't hear from where he was sitting, in between Pyrrha and Ruby.

"Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!" Goodwitch said as Yang and Weiss looked excited while Ruby was literally fidgeting in her seat and squealing softly. Much to Pyrrha's and Nickel's confusion. Nickel looked even odder than he usually did, as Combat Techniques was the one class where he was separated from the rest of his team. The rest of Team SONG had Combat Techniques scheduled for later in the week. As the bell rang, Nickel looked at Ruby as they, among the rest of the students rose form their seats.

"I believe the answer is obvious, but are you excited for the upcoming festival, Ruby Rose?" Nickel asked in his usual monotone. She turned toward Nickel with enthusiasm.

"Yeah! How could I not be?! We're gonna meet so many new people and we'll get to see their weapons and fight them and it'll be like, the greatest test of our skills EVER!" Ruby said in one breath, panting slightly after she was finished. Ruby was unfazed by the event of the fight between Yang and Sonata that occurred a week or so prior. Yang did show some timidity just as Sonata said, but she quickly recovered from it. Blake still showed the same lack of interest in Team SONG, but Weiss still showed some cold hostility. Nickel waited a moment before responding to Ruby's outburst.

"Indeed. Have you began to train as of yet?" Nickel asked.

"Not yet. But, I will. I've gotta represent not just Vale, not just Beacon, but Team RWBY too. …I can't let them down." Ruby said, her voice becoming more sombre as the sentence went on. Nickel was once again silent for a moment before responding. Nickel placed a hand on the top of her head in a way that had it been done by anyone else, it would look playful or comforting, but it didn't look right coming from Nickel.

"Sonata Melody feels the same way. It is true that you have responsibilities as a leader, but there is no indication that you will fail. It is more likely that you will succeed." Nickel said, never once changing his voice before removing his hand from her crown. Ruby gave a lone giggle as she closed her eyes and smiled in an adorable way.

"Yeah. Thanks, Nickel. You perked me up before the downs hit me. Besides, I've got plenty of time to train and practise for the festival." Ruby replied, her giddiness returning.

"If you require sparring partners, I could attempt to convince my team to be of assistance. If not, I would most likely still be available. My skills would need honing, just like anyone else's." Nickel said, causing Ruby to smile again.

"Thanks, Nickel! I might take you up on that!" Ruby said cheerfully before running after her team, waving goodbye as she did so. Nickel watched her leave before moving himself without so much as a sound.

Hey, Nickel! Over here!" Sonata yelled as Nickel walked through the lunch hall with his tray of food. Nickel silently walked over to the table where the rest of Team SONG was sitting.

"Where were you? You normally not a minute late." Gnash asked as Nickel sat down.

"I was conversing with Ruby Rose." Nickel replied. Sonata, Ophelia and Gnash looked at him in surprise.

"What made you want to speak to her?" Ophelia asked.

"I was… chatting. Making new friends." Nickel said with minor difficulty, as if the words was foreign on his lips.

"…Well, I guess we could learn a thing or two from you. I guess we could try to get on good terms with other teams." Sonata said, still surprised by Nickel.

"…There are worse people to learn from." Gnash said with a scowl as he looked over Nickel's shoulder. The rest of the team looked over to see Cardin Winchester rudely gripping the ear of a Faunus upperclassmen. Much to the pain of said Faunus.

"Ow! That hurts!" The Faunus girl said as Cardin tugged on her rabbit-like ear and laughed at his actions. Nickel turned to Gnash with a blank look of curiosity as Gnash was little quietly hissing like a snake.

"Why is Cardin Winchester doing that? It looks painful for that girl." Nickel asked. Gnash looked over to Nickel and his face softened slightly as he replied to his teammate.

"I don't know where you're from, Nickel, but some people see Faunus as lower beings. He's one of 'em." Gnash replied venomously. Nickel looked back at Cardin.

"…But… that is needlessly cruel." Nickel said, his confusion evident.

"All discrimination is, Nickel." Ophelia said.

"…Why is no one assisting her?" Nickel asked. The three other members of Team SONG at the table looked in silence before all of them turned to Cardin and stood from their seat.

"Because, _we're_ going to, Nickel." Sonata replied. The four of them then began to walk towards Team CRDL, catching the attention of the students nearby as they got closer. Team CRDL didn't notice Team SONG until Cardin felt a hand grab his wrist. Cardin looked over to Ophelia as she kept her grip on the wrist of the hand that Cardin was using to hold the girl's ear.

"Hey! What's your proble- AAH!" Cardin was cut off by Ophelia increasing her grip on his wrist so much that his armour was denting under her hand, causing him to call out in pain.

" _You_ are my problem. Let her go." Ophelia said in her usual soft voice, yet it sounded colder than it ever had before. The rest of Team CRDL moved to attack Ophelia, only to stop in their tracks when the rest of Team SONG stood behind Ophelia, looking formidable and very angry. Team CRDL started to back away as Cardin slowly released his grip on the girl's ear, allowing her shuffle back a foot or two to move away from Cardin. Ophelia then released Cardin, allowing him to stumble back unceremoniously before all of Team CRDL ran from the dining hall. Team SONG suddenly sighed in relief before the dining hall doors slammed open with an echoing sound. Professor Goodwitch walked into the hall and everyone froze as the sound of her high-heeled shoes echoed through the hall.

"Team SONG. If you'll come with me, please." Goodwitch said simply, causing beads of sweat to accumulate on the foreheads of Team SONG as they began to follow Goodwitch out.

"This is prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War! Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie. Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" Professor Oobleck said as he moved around the classroom at such blinding speeds that nobody could track until he stopped moving. The door suddenly opened as Team SONG awkwardly entered and Oobleck was in front of them instantly.

"Ah! Team SONG! I was given a message from Professor Goodwitch that you would be late because of her! It's perfectly fine! If you'd like to take your seats!" Oobleck said as he zoomed back to the front of the class. Team SONG silently walked down the steps and took their seats.

"Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" Oobleck asked from the front of the classroom. A few students began to raise their hands, including the Faunus girl that was being bullied in the dining hall. Gnash also raised his hand.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scallions can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War? Yes?" Oobleck asked when Weiss raised her hand.

"The battle at Fort Castle." Weiss answered enthusiastically.

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Oobleck asked, to which no one responded. Until Jaune suddenly called out when Cardin threw a paper ball off of his head.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?" Oobleck asked excitedly as Jaune struggled to come up with an answer, as Pyrrha was trying to signal something to him.

"Uhhhh... The answer... The advantage... of the Faunus... had over that guy's stuff... Uhh... Binoculars!" Jaune struggled before answering, causing the class to begin laughing.

"Very funny, Mr. Arc. Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject!" Oobleck said.

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an _animal_ than a soldier." Cardin said, causing a number of students to scowl and Oobleck to shake his head in disapproval. But, it also caused Gnash and Nickel to get to their feet; Gnash ready to strike Cardin and Nickel ready to stop him.

"What is your _deal_ with Faunus, Cardin?!" Gnash yelled in rage.

"I hear a lot of barking. And here I thought you'd hiss like a snake." Cardin said venomously, causing Gnash to bare his teeth, looking ready to rip Cardin to pieces.

"There are theories concerning Faunus, Cardin Winchester." Nickel said. Cardin turned to look at him disinterestedly.

"And?" Cardin replied.

"Those theories speculate that Faunus may be examples of the next stage of human evolution." Nickel continued, ignoring Cardin's tone.

"So?" Cardin replied with the same lack of interest as he turned to face the front of the classroom again.

"It is interesting, considering _you_ are an example of the previous stage." Nickel said with a completely deadpan expression. Many students including Cardin turned to look at Nickel in shocked awe. Gnash was so shocked, he gave no resistance when Nickel began to sit down and pulled Gnash down with him onto his own seat. No one moved until Cardin rose swiftly from his seat.

"You wanna take this outside?!" Cardin yelled, to which Nickel didn't respond.

"Mr. Winchester! Please, take your seat. I will hear no more of this. Does anyone know the answer?" Oobleck said before Cardin sat down angrily and Pyrrha raised her hand.

"It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Pyrrha said, to Cardin's disdain.

"General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as _such_ a failure." Blake said, continuing the answer and ending her sentence with a glance towards Cardin. Cardin began to rise from his seat for a second time.

"Mr. Winchester, I will not ask you again! You and Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings. Mr. Nickel and Mr. Saurian, you two can see Professor Goodwitch about _your_ behaviour." Oobleck said before taking another sip from his coffee and continuing the lesson.

"I guess we're up the creek now, huh?" Gnash said to Nickel as they waited for Goodwitch.

"We have done nothing wrong." Nickel replied.

" _We_ don't think we did. But earlier, Goodwitch told us to ' _use less violent methods when defending yourselves or someone else_ '." Gnash said, doing a subpar impression of Goodwitch as he quoted her.

"And we have heeded her words. You did not actually strike Cardin Winchester and neither did I." Nickel replied.

"But, everyone knows that I wanted to… But, hey, you really dissed him hard! Was that what you thought of when Goodwitch told us to be less violent?" Gnash asked, his voice filling with hints of pride at his friend's words to Cardin.

"I had originally thought that a battle of wits would fit the necessary parameters." Nickel said.

"'Originally'?" Gnash questioned.

"Indeed. However, in that regard, he seemed to be unarmed." Nickel said, his tone not changing once. But, it cause Gnash to laugh out loud.

"Oh-hoho! Oh, dude, you've gotta tell the girls that one when we get back!" Gnash said with a large smile as he wrapped his arm around Nickel's shoulders in a friendly manner. Not a moment later, the door to the bleak room they were waiting in, but the two were surprised by who entered. It wasn't Professor Goodwitch.

It was Professor Ozpin.


	7. Chapter 7

"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and Mr. Nickel and Mr. Saurian will be overlooking the proceedings to make sure none of you die while doing so." Professor Goodwitch said to the groups of Team RWBY, JNPR and CRDL. Nickel and Gnash stood a little firmer at her words.

As the groups stopped, Jaune bumped into Cardin whilst carrying a large case with six empty glass jars on top. Cardin scowled at Jaune, who looked away in an attempt to look innocent as he whistled before Professor Goodwitch spoke again.

"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock. Have fun." Goodwitch finished her instructions as the groups began to separate, Gnash going along with Ren and Nora as Pyrrha lingered for a moment and Nickel walked along with Team RWBY. Ruby walked next to Nickel and looked at him.

"You sure you don't wanna go with Team CRDL?" Ruby asked.

"Dust that." Nickel cursed simply, causing Yang to chuckle.

"Fair enough." Blake said, trying to hide a small smile, while Weiss stayed silent. Nickel and Team RWBY walked for a few more minutes before Ruby spoke again.

"So, Nickel, why were you and Gnash told to help us with Professor Peach's assignment?" Ruby asked.

"It was the punishment we were assigned by Professor Ozpin after our… outburst in Professor Oobleck's class. I'm sure you remember, Ruby Rose." Nickel said, as toneless as ever. Yang suddenly started laughing loudly before wrapping her arm around Nickel's shoulders.

"Oh, man! I remember that! That was great!" Yang said cheerfully.

"Gnash Saurian said something similar to that, Yang Xiao Long." Nickel said, unfazed by the huntress' proximity.

"Hey, Nickel, why do you always say everyone's full name?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"…I… suppose I'm not a very… sociable person." Nickel said as his shoulders slumped slightly and there was a detectable tone of sadness in his voice. Yang gently lifted her arm off of Nickel's shoulder as each member of Team RWBY stopped walking and looked at him with varying degrees of pity and sympathy. Ruby stepped forward timidly and placed her hands gently on Nickel's own with a gentle look in her eyes. Nickel looked back into Ruby's eyes and did something that caused her to freeze in his gaze. Nickel's lips moved almost unnoticeably, but Ruby could see it.

Nickel was smiling at her.

Ruby stood, frozen, staring at Nickel until Yang put her lips near Ruby's ear.

"You gonna let go of his hand anytime soon, sis?" Yang whispered with a massive smirk. Ruby's face turned bright red as she thrust her hands away and glared at with her fists clenched and her cheeks puffed out slightly. Yang couldn't stop cackling as Weiss, Blake and Nickel watched their antics.

"Come on, you two! We have sap to collect!" Weiss ordered as she continued to walk towards a group of trees, Blake and Nickel following soon after.

"It appears there is still a number of things that I don't understand about people." Nickel said to Blake with a quick glance to the pair of sisters following behind. Blake followed his glance before looking at Nickel and returning her eyes ahead of her.

"It appears so…" Blake said quietly as she continued to walk.

* * *

Ren knelt in front of a tree to collect the sap within it, filling his jar to the brim before passing it to Nora.

"Mmmm!" Nora exclaimed as Ren turned around to fill another jar. At the sound of commotion, Ren turned around to see Gnash holding the filled jar on the flat of his hand as he had his other hand on Nora's face as she tried desperately to reach the jar, flailing her arms in the jar's direction, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Nickel stood near to Pyrrha as she extracted some sap from a tree, screwed the lid back onto the jar and stood back up. Pyrrha didn't seem to be in a talkative mood, so there was a thick silence-ridden tension between the two.

* * *

"What're you waiting for, Jaune-y boy? You hit the damn redhead with the sap, I hit the know-it-all robot guy with the sap and then we let the wasps out. Done and done." Cardin said as he stared Jaune down, the jar of sap shaking in Jaune's hand. There was another moment where Jaune didn't move, causing Cardin to sigh.

"You've disappointed me, Jaune." Cardin said as he launched the jar of sap towards his target. Jaune watched in horror. Before Jaune had anytime to call out and warn his classmates, the sound of glass shattering filled the air.

* * *

Pyrrha turned around in shock as a loud shattering sound echoed behind her. Pyrrha had to take a moment to process what was in front of her. Nickel was crouched onto one knee with chunks of glass impaled into different parts of his upper body. Pyrrha watched as a mixture of blood and tree sap oozed down Nickel's body. He strained as he opened his eyes, only to see a box fly towards him and hit him in the face, causing an entire swarm of Rapier Wasps to emerge and began to sting him to get at the sap covering his body. Pyrrha finally recovered from her shock, but stood in as she frantically tried to think of a way to help the young huntsman-in-training.

"Nickel!" Ruby cried out in shock as she emerged from the bushes from behind Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked back and shot Ruby an expression that seemed to say: ' _I don't know what to do, help me!_ '. Ruby rushed forward, only for both she and Pyrrha to stop. The wasps began to fly away, leaving the young man on the ground, unmoving. After the wasps had all dispersed, Ruby and Pyrrha slowly edged closer to Nickel as he began to slowly get up and pull the glass out of his body. Soon enough Nickel was on his feet and slowly pulling out a large piece of glass from his forehead. Luckily it wasn't a deep wound, so it didn't cause too much damage.

"Nickel, don't just stand there! We've gotta get you to the infirmary!" Ruby said frantically, causing Nickel to raise in finger in a 'wait' motion as he stood in silence. Suddenly, the wounds he'd sustained began to shrink until they'd completely sealed. Nickel stretched after he completely healed, then he looked to the girls watching him in another shocked silence.

"That stung." Nickel said simply. After getting no reply, Nickel spoke again.

"So, I'm not consistently humorous. A pity. Come, I want to see where that jar and box came from." Nickel said as he began to walk away, the girls standing in silence before rushing to catch up to him.

"Aren't you gonna explain how you recovered from that?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Aura." Nickel replied simply. Ruby and Pyrrha could hear the 'Duh' he implied.

"Oh, yeah." Ruby replied, embarrassed as to how she missed such an obvious fact. Pyrrha had the same expression as Ruby as they continued to walk, but kept an embarrassed silence. The silence was broken by three members of Team CRDL as they ran past the trio as fast as they were able.

"Ursa! Ursa!" Russel yelled out, looking behind him, causing him to accidentally collide with Yang. Unfazed by the impact, Yang lift Russel by his shirt.

"What?! Where?" Yang questioned as she lifted him.

"Back there! It's got Cardin!" Russel replied frantically. Pyrrha's eyes widened as she dropped her jar of sap.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby instructed, her voice filled with authority.

"You two, go with them! There could be more!" Pyrrha instructed in the same tone.

"Nickel, you and I'll go with Ruby, Pyrrha and Weiss. We don't know if any more Ursai'll turn up." Gnash said in a calmer tone. Nickel nodded once as the group of five unsheathed their weapons and began to run the direction that the CRDL team members ran from. After a minute or so of running, the group saw Jaune using Crocea Mors to protect a grounded Cardin from a giant Ursa paw. Weiss prepared Myrtenaster as Gnash prepared Anguis Morsu, ready to step in and aid Jaune.

"Wait!" Pyrrha stopped the pair before they could engage the Ursa, leaving it to Jaune. Weiss and Gnash looked at Pyrrha in confusion before lowering their respective weapons. The bout between Jaune and the Ursa continued until the two of them swung their limbs to meet in a final clash. Sword VS claw. Nickel looked at Pyrrha as she raised her hand. In a moment, Jaune's shield raised suddenly, blocking the Ursa's strike completely, allowing Jaune to retaliate. Jaune swung his sword with all of his strength, severing the Ursa's head from its shoulders.

"Uhhh... What?" Ruby said in confusion as Pyrrha lowered her hand and smiled.

"How did you...?" Weiss asked, her sentence trailing off due to her awe matching Ruby's.

"Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs. My Semblance is polarity." Pyrrha explained.

"Whoa, you can control poles..." Ruby said in quiet awe, causing Gnash to facepalm.

"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" Weiss said.

"Magnets are cool, too..." Ruby replied, her quiet awe not waining as Pyrrha began to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Weiss asked, causing Pyrrha to stop.

"Yeah! We gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby said.

"We could... Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?" Pyrrha said before beginning to walk away again, leaving Jaune his victory. Ruby, Weiss, Nickel and Gnash followed her soon after, leaving Jaune to deal with Cardin. Gnash rushed ahead slightly in order to catch up with Pyrrha.

"Hey, Pyrrha! Why was Jaune away from your team in the first place?" Gnash asked.

"…I don't think it matters now. Hopefully, Jaune will come back to us." Pyrrha said with a hint of hope in her voice.

"Don't worry. Your boyfriend may be dim, but he's not _that_ dim." Gnash said with a smirk, flashing Pyrrha his sharp teeth before walking at a quicker speed as Pyrrha blushed and began to speed-walk to catch up with Gnash.

"Wh-what are you saying?!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she tried to keep up with Gnash as he continued to speed up to outpace her, chuckling as he did so. Ruby giggled as Pyrrha chased after a laughing Gnash, Weiss and Nickel following alongside Ruby. The leaves of Forever Fall continued to drift to the ground as new friendships began to form beneath them.


	8. Chapter 8

"Thank you all! Any donations are appreciated! If you have any requests, just shout 'em out!" Sonata called out to the few gathered people as they clapped at her performance. She looked around to see Ophelia collecting 'donations' with a cute smile. After the small audience had left, Ophelia began to count the Lien that they managed to collect as she walked up to Sonata.

"I'm sorry, Sonata. You didn't get a large haul. I guess I was wrong when I thought Vale would be a good location for you to do this." Ophelia said with an apologetic tone.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Ophelia. I'm used to things going worse whenever I busk. How much did we manage to get?" Sonata said, no disappointment in her voice.

"…Just 50 Lien." Ophelia replied, half-heartedly. Sonata suddenly smiled brightly.

"50 Lien?! That's a jackpot for this business! We've done great! Why would you think that's a bad haul?" Sonata said excitedly. Ophelia looked at her in shock.

" _This_ is a lot of money?" Ophelia asked incredulously. Sonata waited a moment before replying.

"…You're kinda sheltered, aren't you?" Sonata asked gently. Ophelia's face suddenly drooped in a state of melancholy.

"…You know the Sky family, I'm sure?" Ophelia asked.

"Yeah. The family that makes all the airships in Remnant." Sonata said. Ophelia nodded.

"We're one of the richest families in all of Remnant. Second only to the Schnee family. …I guess growing up with all that money's taken me out of touch with…" Ophelia trailed off.

"…With everyone else." Sonata finished. Ophelia handed Sonata the Lien and started to slowly walk away without a word. After a moment of walking, Ophelia jumped as Sonata suddenly wrapped her arm around Ophelia's shoulders and smiled down at her.

"Well, I guess I'll have to add that to the list of things I've gotta help with. First is Nickel's formality stuff, then it's you and your sheltered thing and then it's Gnash and his-." Sonata listed before being cut off by a voice behind her.

"Gnash and his what?" Gnash said as he and Nickel walked towards the girls.

"Uh… You and your… Uh… I got nothing." Sonata said.

"That's what I thought." Gnash said with a smirk.

"So… what's up, girls?" Nickel said slowly, having difficulty with such an unfamiliar phrase.

"…We got 50 Lien!" Sonata replied happily, silently encouraging Nickel's attempt at casual conversation.

"From busking? Nice. I guess coming to Vale during the Vytal festival setup was a good idea after all." Gnash said. Sonata smiled brightly again before Team SONG's attention was caught by a blonde Faunus boy with a monkey tail ran past the four of them. Followed by police officers. Then by Team RWBY. Team SONG stayed in silence for a moment.

"Um… Does anyone have any idea what just happened?" Ophelia asked, confused.

"Never-mind that! C'mon!" Sonata exclaimed before running after the commotion that had passed them, causing her teammates to follow close behind. After a moment of chasing, Team SONG ground to a halt as they saw Team RWBY overlooking a young, ginger-haired woman with a carefree, cheerful expression.

"Do you… wanna get up?" Yang asked unsurely as Nickel began to slowly back away. The girl looked down at herself for a moment before smiling brightly again.

"Yes!" The girl said before leaping to her feet, causing the two teams to take a step back in surprise.

"My name is Penny! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Penny said, looking around.

"Hi, Penny, I'm Ruby." Ruby said, causing the rest of the group to take roll call.

"I'm Weiss."

"Blake."

"Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Oh, I'm Yang." Yang corrected after receiving a sharp smack from Blake.

"My name's Ophelia."

"Gnash."

"Are you _really_ sure about the head thing? Oh, right. Sonata." Sonata corrected after receiving a sharp smack from Gnash. The group turned to the only member of the group who had remained silent. Only to see him hunched over slightly, one of his hands clenched over his face.

"Nickel? …Buddy, you doing okay?" Sonata asked in concern. Nickel began to shake.

"I… need a moment." Nickel said as he quickly walked away, Team SONG freezing in surprise for a moment before following him as he began to run. Team RWBY stayed frozen with Penny as they watched the team run away.

"…Well, we've got a… couple of people to look for now." Yang said, wanting to go after Team SONG.

"Sorry for running into you!" Weiss called out as Team RWBY began to move in the direction that Team SONG ran off to.

"Take care, friend!" Ruby called out to Penny as they ran away. As they followed, they saw Team SONG in the distance. Nickel was using a wall next to him as support with his hand still on his face as the rest of the team were trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Weiss, who was walking ahead of the rest of Team RWBY, looked back at the team.

"There they are. Let's get an explanation out of Nickel." Weiss said before turning back to the front. Only to be face-to-face with Penny once more.

"What did you call me?" Penny asked. Weiss immediately began looking back to where Penny was and used to be in shock.

"Uh… We didn't call you anything." Yang said nervously.

"No, no. _You_ did." Penny said, walking past Yang and walking up to Ruby.

"Me? I-I don't know. I, what I, um, uh..." Ruby stuttered, completely startled.

"You called me 'friend'! Am I really your _friend_?" Penny asked, uncomfortably close to Ruby. Ruby looked behind Penny to see the rest of Team RWBY shaking their heads and motioning her to say 'no'.

"Umm… Y-yeah, sure! Why not?" Ruby finally said, causing her teammates to fall back in a comedic manner.

"Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" Penny said with a large, bright smile.

"Oh, is this what it was like when you met me?" Ruby said quietly to Weiss as she dusted herself off.

"No. She seems far more coordinated." Weiss said.

"Anyway. Penny, I'd like to hang out now, but we have to check on our friend, Nickel over there." Ruby said with a growing concern in her voice.

"You really would like to?! Wait… Did you say 'Nickel', Ruby?" Penny asked.

"Uh… yeah?" Ruby replied unsurely. Penny suddenly smiled brightly again before walking quickly over to Team SONG, Team RWBY following close behind.

"Nickel! It's so good to see you again!" Penny said happily.

"P-Penny… You know b-better than to… ap-pproach me like this." Nickel said, stuttering, as if he was in pain.

"Oh, come on, Nickel! This isn't the first time and it won't be the last!" Penny said, still very chipper as Nickel began to straighten himself.

"You don't think I could get lucky one of these days?" Nickel replied, stuttering less.

"Guys, what's going on here?!" Sonata said somewhat angrily about the lack of context.

"Oh, I didn't say? Nickel has a little condition. Whenever he sees me, he goes into a temporary homicidal rage!" Penny said, chipper as ever. Nickel lowered his hand and stood up straight. Revealing that his eyes had turned blood red instead of the cool green that they used to be. His face was also beginning to contort into a scowl. The group, minus Penny, looked on in shocked silence.

"So, I have to fight him to calm him down. Luckily, I'm a better fighter than he is, so, I've always won." Penny said, still smiling.

"You haven't explained anything, though! Why is this happening?!" Ruby said in shock.

"Sorry, Ruby. It's a family secret." Penny said as Nickel drew his two swords from the compartment in his outfit and lowered into a battle stance. Penny then took two swords from her small backpack and readied herself too. The two's swords looked identical.

"This may be the end… _sister_." Nickel said with more anger than anyone present had ever heard from him. Nobody could speak. They were simply too shocked at what was happening between their enraged friend and the newcomer. They simply watched in shock as they kept their distance. Except for Penny.

"Not if I can help it!" Penny said happily.

"So, he'll just calm down if you beat him? Can you beat him?!" Ruby exclaimed, just as worried as before.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Penny said calmly before turning back to Nickel as the two combatants looked ready to charge at each other.

"I'm combat _ready_!"


	9. Chapter 9

Nickel looked up as one of his eyes began to swell. He and Penny had been battling for what felt like hours. Nickel was bleeding all over, on bended knee looking at his opponent, who hadn't suffered a single injury. He looked at Penny in a rage as she wielded all ten blades of Puppeteer, ready to strike Nickel. Nickel tried to stand as he prepared the two swords of his own weapon: Pinocchio. Nickel managed and used one of his blades to launch himself onto the top of a nearby building. Only for Penny to immediately follow him, leaving the two teams still on the ground. The teams watched as the two reengaged and saw a repeat of the events of the previous minutes. Nickel's strikes being blocked by Penny's superior number of blades and using said blades to strike Nickel as his blades were too occupied to defend him.

"I have to end this now, Nickel." Penny said, surprisingly serious. Suddenly, in the time it would take one to blink, both combatants froze. Penny sheathed Puppeteer as Nickel dropped Pinocchio as he dropped to his knees.

And a large wound suddenly opened up his neck, blood beginning to leak out. Nickel fell forward, motionless as Penny caught him, lifted his body and began to leap like a ninja from rooftop to rooftop faster than any of Team RWBY or the remainder of Team SONG could react. They looked on in silence before Sonata's knees buckled and she fell down onto them. Her face was blank of all expression except for one. Sorrow. Team SONG were completely shocked at what just occurred before their eyes, but there was still an amount of disbelief in their eyes too.

"Did… did she… just…?" Ophelia couldn't get her words out as she swayed weakly before using Sonata to keep her balanced.

"She just killed him… She just killed him!" Sonata screamed before she began to sob into her hands, Ophelia joining her. Team RWBY were still in shock before Ruby started crying also, quickly holding onto Yang as support, causing Yang to immediately grab hold of Ruby as if her life depended on it. They tried contacting the police in Vale, but they soon realised that Penny left no trace of her battle with Nickel or any evidence of the murder, causing the police to disregard the teams' claims and went back to their Dust robbery investigation. The two teams walked back to Beacon in silence. Team RWBY out of respect and sadness, Team SONG out of sheer sorrow. Ruby looked over to the other team, to see that Sonata didn't look as sad as Ophelia or Gnash. She looked worse. She looked downright destroyed.

Team RWBY and Team SONG separated to go to their respective dorms, each in silence. Team RWBY sat on their respective beds still in silence.

"…You doin' okay, Ruby?" Yang asked softly. Ruby barely reacted to the question.

"Why do you ask?" Ruby replied, her voice soft and with no energy.

"You were closer to Team SONG than any of us, Nickel especially." Blake said.

"Then, you don't need to ask how she's feeling, do you?" Weiss said coldly. The team fell into silence again.

"…I just… I didn't think Penny would…" Ruby said as her voice started cracking and tears began to accumulate in her eyes.

"…I don't know how anyone can do something like that." Yang said, surprisingly shaken.

"What do you mean, Yang?" Weiss asked.

"…I had a nightmare last night. It sounds silly, but… Well, I walked into a bar and got in a fight with the bartender. She had skills that I'd never fought before. But, at the end of the fight, I..." Yang trailed off as she absent-mindedly ran her fingers along her bracelets.

"What happened, Yang?" Ruby asked with Weiss and Blake waiting for an answer.

"…I used Ember Celica to snap her neck." Yang finished. The rest of Team RWBY looked at her in shock for a moment.

"Yang… You know you didn't really do that." Ruby said softly, trying to comfort her big sister.

"But, it felt so real. In the dream, I knew that it was like kill or be killed but… I didn't even feel guilty in the dream. I just walked away." Yang said as Ruby leapt off of her bed and onto Yang's to wrap her in a tight hug.

"Yang, you're not a murderer. We don't know why Penny did what she did, but we have to at least find out why. For Nickel's sake." Blake said.

"Blake's right. It's our duty as huntresses to eliminate threats to the peace. That includes murderers and terrorists, like the White Fang." Weiss said. Blake looked over to Weiss and scowled.

"Why do you keep talking about the White Fang like that?" Blake asked angrily.

"What? How else would you want me talk about those Faunus?" Weiss aske with hint of scorn when she said 'Faunus'.

"What do you mean by that?!" Blake exclaimed, angrier than ever. Yang and Ruby looked at each other nervously as the two began to argue.

* * *

Team SONG dragged their feet behind them as they walked to their room. Not a word was spoken between them as Sonata unlocked the door. The three of them walked inside the room and froze as a figure stood in the room, back facing the trio.

"Who the Dust are you?!" Gnash yelled angrily as the team prepared their weapons.

"You three may want to sit down…" The figure said as it slowly turned to show freshly sealed wounds and stains of blood on their chest.

"…This is where things get complicated." Nickel finished.


	10. Chapter 10

After Blake ran out of Team RWBY's room, the rest of Team RWBY were left in silence at her outburst. Silently processing the information that they'd just received. Their thoughts were cut off by a high pitched scream that cut through the air, causing the remainder of Team RWBY to run from their room and check for the source of the scream. They were lead to Team SONG's room as looked through the open door. What they saw caused them to freeze to the spot. Team song were on the ground in a group hug. ALL of Team SONG. Sensing their presence, Team SONG looked at the doorway and slowly got to their feet. Team RWBY's eyes were locked onto Nickel.

"I was just about to explain-!" Nickel's sentence was cut off as he was knocked to the ground again by a red blur that had latched onto him tightly. Ruby squeezed Nickel very tightly, as if it was to assure herself that he was actually there. Before Nickel could speak, Yang picked them up and embraced them both in an even tighter grip. After the two began gasping for air, Yang released them.

"What the hell happened, Nickel? We thought Penny killed you!" Sonata asked. Nickel turned to her and with a look on his face that made it look like he was contemplating what to say.

"Penny had a plan. My emergency shutdown is on my neck." Nickel replied. Everyone in the room froze at his words. After a moment, Weiss took a step forward.

"'Emergency shutdown?'" Weiss asked, silently asking Nickel to elaborate. Nickel simply walked over to his bloodstained coat that laid on his bed and pulled out of his swords. He shifted it into its gun form and quickly shot himself in the hand, causing everyone to jump in shock.

"Nickel! What're… you…" Ruby's sentence trailed off as she saw a large, bloody hole that the gun had left in his hand. Because, his bones were metallic. As he moved his fingers, pistons could be seen moving to allow said movements.

"…I'm not a real boy." Nickel finally said. Nobody reacted. They continued to stare at the wound until Nickel's aura kicked in and healed his wound completely. Nickel slowly sat down and wait for everyone to collect their thoughts.

"…How long?" Gnash asked softly.

"What?" Nickel questioned.

"How long have you been a… whatever you are?" Gnash asked.

"...10 years." Nickel replied. Everyone took a seat on the different beds in the room.

"When I was young, my father hated me. He was an inventor with unparalleled skills. So, he sought to 'perfect' me. One day, he invented a metallic endoskeleton and special nanomachines that would respond to electrical signals." Nickel explained.

"What does this have to do with 'perfecting' you?" Ophelia asked.

"Simple. He took me to his lab as I was sleeping, removed my brain and placed it into the endoskeleton. The nanomachines in my body respond to the electrical signals given by my brain. They can generate any tissue I want them to. I… couldn't bear to look at what my father had turned me into, so I had them create flesh, hair, enamel; everything to make me as I was." Nickel explained further. Everyone was hanging on his every words, just trying to comprehend every word.

"So… that's what actually look like?" Yang asked, unsure of what else to say.

"…Yes and no." Nickel replied.

"What do you mean, 'yes and no'?" Weiss asked. Nickel slowly looked down at the floor.

"There was a reason why my father hated me."

"Why's that?" Sonata asked. Nickel lifted his head to look at Gnash, catching the Faunus by surprise, before looking down again.

"Father put a program into the nanomachines that I could not remove. They prevent two parts of me from regenerating." Nickel said.

"What parts?" Ruby asked softly.

"…My ears and tail." Nickel replied just as softly. Everyone froze once again. Gnash was the first to recover.

"You… You're a Faunus?" Gnashed asked. Nickel nodded his head.

"Father was discriminatory towards Faunus. So, when he fathered an illegitimate son that was also a Faunus, he saw no reason _not_ to loath me." Nickel said. Ruby slowly wrapped her arms around Nickel as tears threatened to leave her eyes for the second time that night. Yang looked over to him with a look similar to Ruby's.

"So, what happened after he… y'know?" Yang asked awkwardly.

"My father was discovered by the Vale military. I was taken away for examination and my father was killed as he resisted arrest. I was taken to General Ironwood and I was examined for years. They took copies of my programing and structure. That's where I met Penny. She knew what I was. She spent a lot of time together and we started to see each other as siblings rather than friends. However, General Ironwood didn't like that. So, I was implanted with a program that sent me into a homicidal rage whenever I saw Penny and I was released. They knew that if Penny and I were to battle, I would die. She was always the superior fight of the two of us." Nickel explained.

"So, why did she activate your emergency shutdown and take you away?" Gnash asked.

"She uploaded a program into my brain that allows me my brain to release chemicals like a normal brain. A function that was blocked by an experiment when I was in Ironwood's care." Nickel said.

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked, causing Weiss to step forward.

"Certain chemicals release in our brains to make us feel certain emotions. Like dopamine. He's saying he should be able to express and experience emotion. Right?" Weiss explained, causing Nickel to nod in agreement.

"Penny also gave me this." Nickel said as he raised his hand to reveal a memory stick.

"What's on that?" Ruby asked.

"A kill code. For the nanomachines that have my father's program on them. Basically, it will allow me to grow my ears and tail back. With my nanomachines and aura, it would only take a few hours." Nickel replied. Everyone looked to the memory stick in a slight amount of awe.

"So… You just install that and you can be a Faunus again?" Gnash asked. Nickel didn't reply immediately.

"I just realised that you're all taking this unsettlingly well." Nickel said.

"Well, you acted enough like a robot anyway, so finding out you are one just kinda seals the deal." Yang said humorously.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed.

"What? It's not like I'm driving him nuts! …And bolts. Eh? Eh? Guys?" Yang said as a number of simultaneous facepalms happened in front of her. However, there was one sound that filled the air. Quiet, breathy laughter. Everyone looked over to see Nickel covering his mouth as his shoulders shook and his eyes were clenched shut, trying to hold in his near-silent laughter. Yang suddenly looked slightly teary-eyed as she raised a fist to the air.

"I finally got one!" Yang whispered to herself in a very happy, prideful tone. As Nickel stopped laughing, he stood and held the memory stick in his hand.

"I'm going to need some help with this." Nickel said. Gnash stood from his bed.

"How do we do this?" Gnash asked.

"There is an access panel in my head that it must be inserted into." Nickel said as he drew his sword once more and placing it near his head. Everyone flinched as he pierced the flesh on his head and peeled it back to show his blood-covered metallic skull and the access panel that he mentioned. Recovering, Gnash took the memory stick.

"Alright, now what do you need me to do?" Gnash asked.

"Just open the panel and you should see a port you can insert it into." Nickel replied as he held back the flesh on his head to give Gnash clear access. Gnash gently felt the access panel and felt a small handle. Pulling on it, the panel opened to reveal a number of ports, just as Nickel said. Slowly inserting the stick, Gnash closed the panel and Nickel placed the flesh back which began to heal after a moment.

"If I leave it in there overnight, I should look a little different in the morning." Nickel said. Suddenly, Ruby let out a large yawn.

"Look, guys. We've all had a long day and we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I think we should all get some shut-eye." Yang said as she and the rest of Team RWBY stood. Team RWBY and SONG said their goodbyes as Ruby hugged Nickel again before they left for their room. Team SONG talked for a little while longer, just glad to be reunited again. Eventually, however, they turned in for the night. Team RWBY may have lost Blake that night, but they were thankful that they hadn't truly lost any of their friends. They also knew that Blake was in for one hell of a story when they brought her back.


	11. Chapter 11

Ophelia slowly awoke as rays of sunlight began to shine into Team SONG's room. She sat, stretched and yawned softly as she looked around to see her teammates were still asleep. This gave her a slight feeling of surprise as she wasn't normally the first person awake in the mornings. It was usually Nickel. As the boy entered her thoughts, Ophelia looked over to see Nickel still asleep in his bed, which gave her a feeling of relief. It wasn't a dream. He really did survive. She walked over to his bed to further prove it to herself, but she froze before she reached the bed itself. Now that she was more awake and could see Nickel perfectly, she noticed something that she missed before.

Two animal ears emerging from the top of his head. The ears were covered in light grey fur, the colours blending perfectly with his hair. They seemed to twitch slightly as he slept. Looking further down, she noticed that the form that was hidden by the quilt was much larger than she remembered. Delicately, she took hold of the quilt and gently lifted it. Revealing a large, fluffy, light grey-furred squirrel tail attached to Nickel's body. It was roughly half as long as his full height, half the width of his shoulders and had the same colour fur as his ears. Ophelia dropping the quilt in shock was enough to wake Nickel up. He groggily sat up and rubbed the sleep out of one of his eyes with his hand. He yawned quietly before turning to Ophelia with tired eyes.

"…Morning, Ophelia. What's up?" Nickel asked drowsily. Ophelia simply replied by pointing at his tail. Nickel looked to where she was pointing and stared at his tail in silence. He made it move to prove it was attached.

"…Huh." Nickel said simply, not fully awake yet. The awkward silence continued until the rest of Team SONG woke up.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Nickel. You're just so cute now!" Sonata squealed as Team SONG walked through the dining hall with their breakfasts. Nickel's new appendages did catch quite a few eyes, but no one decided to speak up. The team themselves ignored them all.

"That doesn't give you the excuse to try to stroke my ears and head like a domesticated pet, Sonata." Nickel replied. The team continued to walk as they approached the table Team JNPR and most of Team RWBY was sitting. Blake was still missing.

"Oh, come on! They're just so fluffy!" Sonata squealed, causing Ophelia and even Gnash to giggle and snicker. Nickel rolled his eyes as the team made it to the table, causing the two teams to look over and freeze in surprise. Nickel sighed at the silence.

"My eyes are up here." Nickel said, causing Yang and Nora to laugh and Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha to look away awkwardly. Ren and Weiss didn't seem to care. Team SONG sat down as Team RWBY recovered from their surprise, while Team JNPR was still very confused.

"Looks like that program worked, huh?" Yang said as she looked at Nickel's ears and tail.

"Indeed, it did. Whether or not I get used to it is another issue." Nickel said as he and his team sat down at the table. Team JNPR were still looking on in confusion.

"Uh… Care to fill us in?" Jaune asked for his team.

"I'm a robot Faunus with an organic brain. I have nanomachines that let me grow my ears and tail back." Nickel replied simply. Team JNPR looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. …Or second tail. They looked at Team RWBY for any sense of confusion from them, only to receive none.

"Nah, he's not kidding. He showed us his robot parts and everything." Yang said, causing JNPR to look at her as if she'd gone insane. Before all of them sighed in synchronicity and looked like they were just accepting it.

"So… Squirrel." Nora said, trying to cut through the awkwardness.

"Again, my eyes are up here." Nickel said again.

"So, how're you holding up, Nickel?" Sonata asked.

"Well, I'm readjusting. My balance is a little off and my hearing is a little different, but other than that, I'm- Ahn~!" Nickel suddenly released a groan that one could consider… lewd. Both teams looked at him in shock as Nickel suddenly glared, face burning as he slowly looked behind him. To see Ruby frozen behind him, her hands still holding his tail and her face as red as Nickel's. Nobody moved for a moment as Nickel continued to glare at Ruby, as she was still frozen from shock. Nickel suddenly pulled his tail from Ruby's grasp, pulling her out of her shock.

"It's still sensitive." Nickel said simply, still glaring with his blush still intact. Ruby suddenly vanished in a flurry of rose petals as she reappeared behind Yang, trying to hide from Nickel as her face was the same colour as her cloak.

"Sooooo… That's why you didn't want anyone to touch it." Sonata said simply, causing Nickel to give her an unamused glance and Ruby to hide a little more.

"…Blake's still not back?" Gnash asked.

"…No. We're getting more worried than we were last night." Yang replied.

"Why did she leave anyway?" Ophelia asked. Yang and Ruby shared a slightly saddened look while Weiss was trying to look uninterested, but a hint of a scowl persisted on her features.

"…Blake would want us to keep it secret." Ruby said sombrely. The teams looked at her in silence for a moment, before Sonata broke the silence.

"Guys, it doesn't matter why Blake left. It's none of our business. What matters is that she's brought back." Sonata said.

"I know a place on the bad side of town. We can ask them if they've seen any sign of Blake." Gnash said.

"Good idea. You guys go check there while Ruby, Weiss and me go look around Vale." Yang said, to everyone's agreement.

"Nickel, you go with the girls." Gnash said suddenly.

"What? Why?" Nickel asked.

"We can't take our weapons. If they think we're threats, they'll attack us. Simple as that." Gnash explained.

"So? Why can't I go?" Nickel asked in confusion.

"They've got a metal detector." Gnash said with a smirk. Nickel gave him a look of confusion, until he remembered what his bones were made of.

"Oh, you suck." Nickel said with a deadpan expression, causing a few of the huntsmen and huntresses present to chuckle.

* * *

Ruby, Yang and Nickel walked through the streets of Vale as they called out Blake's name; hoping for a response, while Weiss remained silent as she walked with them.

"Weiss, you're not helping!" Ruby said, turning to Weiss.

"Oh! You know what might be able to help? The police!" Weiss replied.

"Ugh, Weiss..." Ruby said in an irritated tone.

"It was just an idea!" Weiss said, exasperatedly.

"Yeah, a bad one." Ruby said as she continued to walk, keeping her irritated tone.

"Weiss, I think we should hear her side of the story before we jump to any conclusions." Yang said, following Ruby.

"I think that when we hear it, you'll all realize I was right!" Weiss said, following Yang.

"I think it's getting harder and harder not to take this personally, being kept in the dark this long." Nickel said, following Weiss.

"And I think Weiss' hair looks wonderful today!" Penny said, following Nickel. The group of four turned around in shock at Penny's sudden appearance.

"Aaaah! Penny! Where did you come from!?" Ruby exclaimed in shock.

"Hey guys! What are you up to?" Penny said excitedly, unfazed by everyone's surprise.

"Uhh..." Ruby said, still not over her surprise.

"We're looking for our friend Blake." Yang said, finally answering Penny.

"Ooooh, you mean the Faunus girl!" Penny said in understanding causing the group to stare at Penny.

"So, that's why Blake left… How did you know that, Penny?" Nickel asked.

"Uhh, the cat ears?" Penny said as she pointed to her head.

"What cat ears? She wears a... bow..." Yang's sentence trailed off as the group came to a realization that left them in silence as a tumbleweed blew past them in the wind.

"She does like tuna a lot..." Ruby whispered to Yang.

"So, where is she?" Penny asked.

"We don't know. She's been missing since Friday." Ruby replied, causing Penny to gasp.

"That's terrible! Well, don't you worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!" Penny said, invading Ruby' personal space, causing Ruby to smile uncomfortably.

"She did this a lot when we were younger too." Nickel whispered to Ruby.

"Uh, that's really nice of you, Penny, but we're okay! Really! Right, guys?" Ruby said, looking over to where Weiss and Yang were standing, only to not see them there. Another tumbleweed blew past the group of three.

"It sure is windy today!" Penny said innocently.

* * *

"So, Blake is your friend?" Penny asked. The group of three had looked around Vale for what was most likely hours, but with no sign of Blake.

"More so Ruby's than mine." Nickel said, his face completely red.

"But, you're mad at her?" Penny asked Ruby whilst burying her face into the soft fur of Nickel's tail again.

"Yes. Well, I'm not. Weiss is." Ruby replied, trying not to blush herself.

"Is she friends with Blake?" Penny said as Nickel pulled his tail out of Penny's grip with an irritated look on his face, the redness not yet fading.

"Well, that's kind of up in the air right now..." Ruby replied to Penny, sombrely.

"But, why?" Penny asked in confusion, causing Ruby to sigh.

"Well, you see, Blake might not be who we though she was..." Ruby replied, still in a sombre tone. Penny gasped.

"Is she a man?" Penny asked, shocked.

"No! No, Penny. She's... I don't know what she is. She didn't exactly talk to us before she decided to run off." Ruby replied.

"I don't have a lot of friends, but if I did, I would want them to talk to me about things. If I could see Nickel all the time, I'd talk to him!" Penny said excitedly.

"But, not everyone has that mentality, Penny." Nickel said as they began to walk again. Only to stop and turn around when they heard the sound of an explosion in the distance.

"Oh, no…" Ruby said under her breath.

"That came from the docks. C'mon!" Nickel said before he began to run in the direction of the explosion, Ruby and Penny following suit.

* * *

Ruby and Nickel arrived at the docks and ran along a rooftop to scope out what was going on. They noticed a man that Ruby instantly recognised. Roman Torchwick aiming Melodic Cudgel at the Faunus that Weiss wanted to observe the day prior.

"Hey!" Ruby called out, catching Roman's attention.

"Why, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" Roman asked mockingly. Penny began to approach from behind Ruby and Nickel.

"Ruby, Nickel? Are these people your friends?" Penny asked curiously.

"Penny, get back!" Ruby said, looking behind her to warn Penny. Using this moment of distraction, Roman lifted Melodic Cudgel and fired an explosive flare directly at Ruby. Ruby turned to see the flare coming straight for her before her vision was blocked. Nickel wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him as the flare hit him in the back, launching the two of them back. Nickel shifted the two of them, causing Nickel to land underneath Ruby, cushioning the impact for her completely. Penny's gaze followed the two, before turning her steely gaze towards Roman and began to walk to the edge of the building.

"Penny, wait! Stop!" Ruby said, raising her hand in a futile attempt to stop her as she and Nickel attempted to stand. Nickel threw his coat off of his body as the flames that had ignited after the flare hit.

"Don't worry, Ruby." Penny said. Her backpack opened up mechanically revealing her weapon: Puppeteer. The numerous blades hovered behind her as her gaze steeled further.

"I'm combat ready!" Penny finished. Penny then leapt from the rooftop. Nickel looked into his ruined coat and saw that made his metallic heart sink in his chest. His weapon: Pinocchio had been destroyed also. The swords were merely lumps of melted, destroyed metal. Ruby wanted to comfort Nickel, but her attention was caught on Penny, worried about her safety. Penny proceeded to fling the swords at one enemy, continue to use her prowess with her blades to defeat more opponents and finally making a wheel that she throws to knock multiple White Fang members off of their feet. Ruby stared in awe at Penny's fighting abilities.

Penny proceeded to block some incoming fire from three Bullheads using Puppeteer. She then launched herself backwards and prepared her swords again. They began to spin at a rapid rate as a green orb of energy to form in the centre of the swords. Following which, Penny thrusted her fists forward and the orb became a massive green beam that sliced two of the Bullheads cleanly in half. Ruby and Nickel watched the slices of Bullhead fly through the sky overhead before turning their attentions back to Penny. She had impaled her blades into the remaining Bullhead. And was pulling it down. Using the strings attached to the swords, she was preventing the Bullhead from leaving until she eventually pulled it down.

"These kids just keep getting weirder..." Roman said before he closed the door to the last Bullhead, allowing it take off and take him with it. Roman flopped down onto a seat with a sigh of exhaustion.

"Rough day at the office, dear?" A voice said from the darkened corner of the craft. Roman's eyes widened in shock for a moment before calming down.

"It was a killer. Nice to see you didn't help me." Roman said as a figure rose from the corner and began to slowly walk towards Roman.

"I saw all I needed to. I'll intervene when I feel like it." The figure said.

"You know _she_ won't like hearing that. I suggest you change your tune." Roman warned. The figure suddenly unsheathed his weapon, a sword's hilt that the blade extended from reaching a length of an average katana, despite the blade being straight, rather than curved. The figure placed the blade at Roman's neck, causing him to watch the blade in fear.

"And I suggest you change _yours_. You know she needs me." The figure said. It then lifted the blade away from Roman, allowing the man to grab his neck and release a large breath that he'd been holding.

"But, she also needs _you_. But, be warned. Don't piss me off. I don't want to get Kariudo dirty." The figure said, motioning to his blade. The figure then walked up to the cockpit. The figure had blood red hair and blood red eyes to match. He was wearing a White Fang garment, but it was in black with the White Fang crest on its back. Other than that…

…He was the spitting image of Nickel.


End file.
